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RECONSTRUCTION IN THE 
DOMESTIC SCIENCE KITCHEN 



Prepared by 

HELEN C. GOODSPEEl) 

Supervisor of Home Economics 

State Department of Public Instruction 



Issued by 

C. P. GARY 

State Superintendent 



MADISON, WISCONSIN 
1919 






D. Of U. 

SEP 29 1919 



ARE YOU KEEPING UP-TO-DATE? 



Ideas chanjje. methods change, courses change, — in fact every- 
thing changes but the hollow square of desks in the Domestic 
Science Kitchen. 

This arrangement has been with us for twenty or thirty 
\ears. Is it not time to investigate and consider its adapt- 
ability to present conditions? 

Li the old da.ys we were bedazzled b}' the novelty of the 
idea of teaching Cooking, b.y the ingenious carpentry expressed 
in the commercial tables and the enticing little individual pots 
and pans. 

Today, unhampered by these illusions, Ave are able to examine 
equipment intelligently and ask. Does it function adequately 
in teaching homemaking? Is it convenient? Does it express 
the best current opinion in regard to facilities for teaching 
cooking? 

Plate Number 1 shows the hollow square plan of desks as 
found in the majority of our public schools. Its only advan- 
tage works to the good of the gas man, who finds it a simple 
arrangement for attaching gas pipes— like the low sinks in so 
many Domestic Science kitchens and homes. The plinnber has 
specified lengths for piping and it is too nuich trouble to change 
these specifications, back ache or no back ache. 

The disadvantages of the hollow square from the point of 
view of the pupils for whose benefit it was planned are numerous. 

1. Instead of dividing advantageously the working space 
in the room among the pupils, from i^f^ to l/o ^^^ square area 
is enclosed inside the hollow square, where it becomes waste 
space. Sometimes a supply table is placed inside the square. 
This table is used by the class for five minutes or so at the 
beginning of the lesson. Sometimes the teacher walks around 
the inside of the S(|uare to inspect the work of the pupils, 
but in observing a large number of classes, it has been noted 
that the teacher more often inspects the pupils' work from 
the outside of the square. She prefers to look at the girls' 



Are You Keeping Up-to-Date 




Are You Keeping Up-to-Date 3 

work from the pupils' vantage point. The arguments usually 
cited cannot justify the enclosing of so much precious space, 
while the pupils are expected to do efficient housework in a 
narrow alley between desk and wall. 

2. One of the aims in teaching cooking is to encourage the 
saving of time and steps. With the hollow square plan one 
can do no more than talk about this important feature of 
housekeeping, for it is impossible to practice it. In Plate 2 
the routes taken by pupils during the cooking period to stoves, 
sinks, refrigerators, etc. are indicated. One teacher in Wiscon- 
sin wore a pedometer one day during class hours. While 
teaching four classes she walked 2^/2 miles. Is it any wonder 
that domestic science teachers often have broken arches? It 
is a well-known fact that cooking teachers are physically tired 
out by the end of the school day. Is it not time to consider 
a reduction of physical effort and a consequent increase of 
mental alertness? 

Plate 3 shows the hollow square arrangement broken up into 
units, each unit accommodating four girls. 

In changing to this plan two desks, each accommodating two 
girls, may be placed back to back. The individual gas plates 
may be placed at the end of each desk as shown in Plate 3. 

Advantages of the Group Arrangement 

1. Routes to all points in the room are now direct for all 
pupils and for the teacher. 

2. All the working space in the room is divided equally 
among the pupils. 

3. The individual stoves are more accessible to the short 
pupil. With the hollow square plan the stove is placed at the 
back of the desk, making it too long a stretch for convenient 
work. 

4. Placing the pupils in groups of four is admirably adapted 
to group work, which is strongly recommended in all baking 
lessons and in meal lessons, as it provides for the use of "famify- 
size" quantities of food. 

5. This arrangement comes nearer to providing an equip- 
ment which is similar to a home kitchen. 

6. It is more informal and, hence, more conducive to class 
discussion and initiative on the part of the student. It is diffi- 
cult to start a free discussion when people are seated in formal 
straight lines. Free discussion on the part of the student is 
the basis of good teaching in Homemaking. For bv this means 



Are. You Keeping Up-to-Date 



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Plate Number 2. 

This shows the routes taken by students during the worViing period in 
passing from desk to supply table, sinks, stoves, etc. 



Are You Keeping Up-to-Date 









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Plate Number 3. 
Breaking up the hollow square. 



6 Are You Keeping Up-to-Date 

the teacher learns the different types of homes represented in 
the class, their various standards of living, and should base 
her work upon the needs of these families. 

Any arrangement that brings the girls closer together is 
more conducive to class discussion than either the hollow square 
or group arrangement, so that it is suggested that for this ten or 
fifteen minute period that the class gather about one table 
bringing their stools, or that a group of chairs be provided 
for this purpose at one end of the kitchen, or that the class 
meet in the sewing room and gather about a long table and 
after the discussion go into the kitchen for the practical work 
of the lesson. 

Is this kind of discussion going on in your cooking classes? 

Are You Installing a New Equipment? 

Plate four shows one of the kitchens at Stout Institute. This 
arrangement approaches the ideal, in that each group is pro- 
vided with a real gas range placed eonvenienth^ near the 
group on a side wall and also each group has a sink, the sinks 
being placed in the center of the room. An equipment of 
this kind may also be seen in the new vocational school in 
Appleton. With this arrangement it might be said that each 
group is provided with the semblance of a home kitchen. 

Have You Thought of This ? 

If you are installing a new equipment, it is recommended 
that at least two sinks not lower than 30 inches from the bot- 
tom of the sink to the floor be placed on opposite sides of 
the room. Very little attention is given to the teaching of 
laundry work in this state, because of inadequate equipment. 
The placing of two laundry tubs alongside one of the sinks 
will help to meet this need and will also be a great boon to 
the teacher in the daily care of dish towels. 

Superintendents and Principals : Are You Supervising 
Your Domestic Science Work? 

Experience has shown that some principals and superinten- 
dents assume that they are not competent to make suggestions 
and otherwise supervise cooking and sewing classes. As a re- 
sult, it often appears that the work is not adapted to home needs, 
the pace of the classes slow, and the general results unsatis- 



Are You Keeping Up-to-Date 




8 Are You Keeping Up-to-Date 

factory. Superintendents can and should supervise even if the 
technicalities are beyond them. The general principles of class 
management are the same in Domestic Science as in the ordi- 
nary classroom and laboratory. The Domestic Science teachers 
need the help and advice of the superintendent. It is fair to 
say that the attitude of "trusting the teacher absolutely" is 
a menace to the successful teaching of Domestic Science. The 
young teacher comes from the Normal School and University 
full of ideas 'and ideals. She finds that no one in the system 
takes any special interest in her work. Has she any incentive 
for trying out new ideas? Is it not rather reasonable to ex- 
pect that she may settle down and do it the easiest way? Any- 
one interested in training boj^s and girls to meet life situations 
should be able to judge the work in Clothing and Food classes 
according to the following : 

Is the w^ork adapted to the needs of the communitj^? 

Are the pupils cooking in too small quantities for practical 
home training ? 

Are live discussions on Clothing and Food problems going 
on daily in these classes? 

Does the kitcb.-n look like a sanitary, cheerful, and convenient 
workshop ? 

Is the teacher dressed in washable dress and apron while 
teaching lessons in Cooking? 

Is your teacher making her influence felt in the homes in 
vour community? 



jjJBRARY OF CONGRESS 
014 485 747 1 ( 



